BENTLEY’S BANDSTAND: June 2025
By Bill Bentley
Jeffrey Broussard and the Nighttime Syndicate, BAYOU MOONLIGHT. It is well known in the burgs and bayous of New Orleans that music is meant to be put in the mixer. Any number of genres can get thrown together, and the end result often borders on bliss. There is simply no reason to try and keep genres segregated. Why? Enter Jeffrey Broussard and the Nighttime Syndicate. They are prisoners of no rules on who and what can be featured in their sound. The Nighttime Syndicate can groovalate with the best of them, Between the guitar, keyboard, rubboard, saxophone, trombone, trumpet and drummer, along with a few special guests on their new album, every sound gets covered, and with bandleader Jeffrey Broussard’s accordion and vocals and the guests jumping in, this is one big bodacious get-down. There’s plenty of zydeco rub-a-dub, back-of-town get down and plain ol’ honky-tonkin’ to get the biscuits baked and the chicken fried. Broussard is one of the great modern bandleaders and vocalists to make plenty of waves in the scene he’s in now. And with a certified album of a variety of zydeco, soul and other styles it’s a good bet the future is bright ahead. Add in Sam Cooke’s all-time chillbumper “A Change Is Gonna Come” in the smack-dab middle of the set and the world starts to feel certified. Broussard’s lead vocal and the holy-fied horns take it to the river. All are once again reminded that the other side of this life will always be waiting for those on the journey. Sanctified for sure.
Annie Dolan with Joel Patterson, ATTA BOY GIRL. For those seeking a full-blown classic rock & roll gust of guts and gusto, Arizonan Annie Dolan arrives with the answer. Recorded in Chicago and produced by groovin’ guitarist Joel Patterson, Dolan has hit on the perfect sauce to make things swing. Covering songs originally known by Elvis Presley, Roger Miller, Johnny Paycheck, Carl Perkins and other luminaries, Dolan is a young woman who has it all. Her voice is full of the juice from the 1950s’ finest, but also holds plenty of her own mojo. That’s the trick. Honor the past but also step into the future. The hardest thing to conquer in rock & roll is to turn history into what’s ahead, and that’s exactly what happens here. A lot of the thanks for that not only goes to Dolan’s irresistible voice, but also Patterson’s hot-blooded guitar and steel guitar pizazz. Leave it to the suave and sultry cover of Julie London’s “Cry Me a River” that Annie Dolan brings to the party to seal the deal. Even though Christy stamped her signature on the song all those years ago, Dolan supplies the same achievement for her 2025 version of one of the most famous songs of the past, right down to Patterson’s guitar glory and a warm-blooded rhythm section. It feels like the kind of cover which recreates things with a whole new power play. Atta boy woman!
Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & the Wild Magnolias, CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK. The Wild Magnolia have one of the most esteemed reputations in the entire history of New Orleans’ mindblowing Mardi Gras Indians heritage. Luckily for all Crescent City funkateers, Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. has stepped into the fiery feathers of his father’s steps and recorded a new album. Ably assisted by producer Cody Dickinson, this is a modern rhythm & blues succulent set with plenty of second-line percussion and vocal boogie to make things funkify just fine. Some of the best high-steppers in the Big Easy are on board now in the Wild Magnolias, and the fervent boogaloo never slows down. And just for downtown soul-a-go-go grooving, there are super-fried new versions of kingpin’s O.V. Wright “A Nickel and a Nail,” William Bell’s “You Let A Good Thing Go Bad” and Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” And if that ain’t a rhythm & blues trifecta, then “grits ain’t groceries, eggs ain’t poultry and Mona Lisa was a man.” There’s a reason that centuries ago New Orleans got tagged as “the City that Care Forgot,” and the good times have been rolling strong ever since. Now Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & the Wild Magnolias are here to make sure that reputation stays as strong as Saturday night’s backbeat up at Tipitina’s on Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas. Yeah you right.
Lonnie Holley, TONKY. When it’s come time to really step into the ultrazone, make a move towards Lonnie Holley. There really isn’t anyone like the man. A native of Alabama, he’s been breaking rules with various areas of art that most people have never thought of. Nicknamed the Sand Man, this is someone who enjoys cutting up and pushing the parameters of modern life. Now that he’s recorded a new album, TONKY, there’s a chance for Holley to ram his reputation into even new areas. These are songs that employ a variety of instruments and sound systems, and leave behind the rules of chorus and verse. The man enjoys hearing things that haven’t been heard before. Holley’s visuals use assemblages and environmental constructions that are just sprouting, as his songs sound like creations fully fresh. What TONKY really captures is a way for modern populations to come across life today in a cross of the ancient and the modern. There is no point trying to find a reason for any of it. This is a new age Lonnie Holley wants to express, with no real rules or expectations. There are no things to worry about. TONKY marches to a new beat and the Sand Man has found the entrance. Next stop: everywhere.
Iron Horse, PICKIN’ ON CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: BLUEGRASS RISING. There can be no disagreement that John Fogerty wrote handfuls of the greatest songs in American music. Alone. When he was the center of Creedence Clearwater Revival in the 1960s on into the start of the ’70s, it seemed like everytime the ears were turned, BAM!, there was another one. And yes, there were also more after the band ended and Fogerty went out on his own. Now, the group Iron Horse turns their attention to the Northern California band for an acoustic reinvigoration of all these classics. And what an incredible odyssey it is. Fogerty’s songs have a deep-seated spiritual tinge to every one, no matter what the subject was specifically attuned to. The way the chord progressions and Fogerty’s voice move together, it almost always sounded like life was being examined with a higher light. It just happened that way and spread the feeling into every area of the music. The serious import of the songs often helped lead the way, but even the love songs reached into the things that give life its import, and happiness and sadness as well. John Fogerty carried a lot of weight inside him, and did not dodge how it affected him. This was a man with much to deal with. And for sonic and soulful reasons, acoustic sounds let all those emotions come out directly and in ways that can’t be dodged. Creedence Clearwater’s songs always sounded honest: happy or sad. And the stringed instruments and vocal arrangement that Iron Horse is so adept at using takes these songs to the hilt. They become alive again, maybe not brand new, but new enough to feel honest listening to them in 2025 this way. And that is a true gift. Someday sometimes comes.
Stephen J. Kalinich & Friends, I LOVE MY LIFE. When it’s time to turn up the spoken word vibrations and cross them with some mighty fine outre backing, it’s clearly time to dial up Stephen J. Kalinich. For a man who has been on the Los Angeles bohemian spoken-word and song scene for over 60 years, no one can come close to comparing in 2025. The New York state native hit the California climes in the early ’60s, and didn’t waste any time rolling in on Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and anyone else slinging words in the name of passion and ecstasy. Kalinich’s infamous A WORLD OF PEACE MUST COME hidden masterpiece closed out the scene for the ’60s, recorded with Brian Wilson in his home, including the shower. And then there were Beach Boys classics along with those penned with Dennis Wilson that Stephen Kalinich co-wrote. Words are the ultimate tools in SJK’s world, and he is still chasing truth and beauty in his mid’2020s. This is a new work of understanding, helmed by Willie Aron, Milo Binder, Randell Kitsch, Luann Olson, Rob Bonfiglio and a studio full of willing others. Even when truths start boomeranging a bit, there is no doubt that lucidity in the end is being spoken. At a time when it is easy to get lost in the clouds of doubts, do not fear. I LOVE MY LIFE is a small army of the committed arriving to serve Kalinich’s vision and help hold back fear to make sure that words are being used to stand and serve. Don’t despair to do what the man says. “Enjoy Your Life.”
Peggy James, TILL I TURN BLUE. There is no way to adequately explain why so much full-on rock & roll comes from the middle of America. It’s like they received an overdose of soul, which allowed them to find infinite influences in all the places they chose from. Peggy James was born in Milwaukee, but moved South and West when it came time to start harvesting musical sources and start writing songs. And then returned to Milwaukee to record. James’ seventh album, TILL I TURN BLUE, shows how the different styles of sounds she’s run into during her sonic discovery has come to full fruition. With producer and multi-instrumentalist Jim Eannelli, this sounds and feels like it is James’ breakthrough into a national presence. The dozen songs stretch out into a souped-up attack, one that feels like she is the equal of anyone making music now. The way James covers the waterfront shows total certainty that she knows exactly what she is hoping to accomplish. Her years in crisscrossing different sounds and places isn’t an easy thing to accomplish, and not many artists make the effort and then hit the bullseye at the end of the effort. American music can be something that is harder to really deliver the styles in front of the musician. Luckily the players in the studio on TILL I TURN BLUE are clearly ones who can turn in almost any direction and make songs like “Compensation,” “There Must Be Gold,” “Loneliest Girl” and “Stuck on the Track” feel like they’ve been performing them for their entire career. It’s the mark of a great American band, whether they’ve spent their years on the bandstand or in the studio–or both. This is an all-star woman who absolutely sounds and feels like she is ready to step all the way in front of everyone. It’s all here.
David Lowery, FATHERS, SONS AND BROTHERS. Someone who doesn’t really need an introduction. From Camper Van Beethoven and then Cracker, David Lowery was making no-small-name for himself, and it’s continued that way now for decades. Lowery helped build Americana’s wide swatch through modern music, and always helped it sound better and mean more. This new double-disc collection of much of his musical offerings makes a case for Lowery being one of the most important protagonists of all these past near-fifty years. The 28-songs come across now, in all their glory, as a soul-swinging ride through what has meant so much for all these years. In the liner notes here, the artist ruminates on how so many fans and friends asked that he write a book of life through the years, but for David Lowery he knew this kind of historical collection would need to be done by his songs. That’s where the man lived, with so many important fellow musicians helping build his way, and emotions living in songs that will never be forgotten. That’s because David Lowery is one of America’s most glorious singer-songwriters of his era. He has a way of expressing his inner and outer life that few have equaled with such originality and depth in this time. All these songs come to life from note one, and stay alive until the last note. This is reality as it’s rarely captured, and Lowery knew any story of his life would need to be created with music, and not paragraphs and pages. The stories start with the men of his life–fathers, sons and brothers–and were built into a lifetime that should be heard. Life goes on.
Van Morrison, REMEMBERING NOW. There is something that a finely-tuned Van Morrison album can do to the atmosphere. His voice itself can make the air feel crisp, like life is getting ready to turn a highly-lifting movement. And all the daily slumps are going to raise a notch and some of the hard-hanging weight will rise. Morrison’s voice is surely of this earth, but it also carries a spiritual surety, and when his best songs (like these surely are) arrive it is highly possible that so will the feelings of joy that the soul is capable of delivering. In the first decade of the Irishman’s solo career, it was a near-magical effect those early albums always delivered. Literally, the sidewalks became softer, the air became sweeter and the smiles on those passing by seemed aimed directly at you. The romantic spirit warmed the heart and made the future open its arms. It was a time when the promises of each day came with the morning, not to be doubted. And, yes, REMEMBERING NOW is a collection of 14 songs that reaches out to remind just what glory Van Morrison’s music can create. It has become something too much to ask for often, but still, it is never so far away to not yearn for. REMEMBERING NOW is exactly that. A glorious feeling of what the first half of the 1970s felt like whenever a new Van Morrison album was on a record store shelf, almost guaranteeing that a shot of salvation was only an album away. No question. No doubt the prayers of youth helped propel that faith, which is exactly why faith exists. Van Morrison is with us today. We’re remembering now.
Maria Muldaur, ONE HOUR MAMA: THE BLUES OF VICTORIA SPIVEY. This album is clearly meant to be. Victoria Spivey and Maria d’Amato/Muldaur have a long history, going back to the first half of the 1960s and Muldaur’s earliest time with the Even Dozen Jug Band prior to her joining the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. That deepness in early life surely gives ONE HOUR MAMA the unmistakably warm sound and essence it is so full of. Muldaur zeroes right in on Spivey’s overwhelming songs, ones that sound like they were torn right out of the heart and soul of the blueswoman, and allowed the younger acolyte to put them straight inside her soul. “Organ Grinder Blues,” “Dreaming of You,” “Down Hill Pull,” “T-B Blues”: these are the kind of songs Victoria wrote and recorded all those years ago, which in many ways gave Muldaur the footprints to follow to find such an unforgettable life in song. At every turn on this album something super-fine happens. Whether it’s guests like Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Chris Burns, Tuba Skinny and a studio full of other top-notch musicians, or the kind of songs that give the shivers to willing listeners, and just the way music of another era can still feel brand new and inspire humans to have the strength to pick right up on life and give it another run, no matter what the past has delivered. At times when the blues might feel of the past, ONE HOUR MAMA is complete evidence that everything is still here. It always will be. Nothing is over. It’s still just begun.
Various Artists, A Tribute to the King of Zydeco: Clifton Chenier. Tribute albums can often be a boatload of fun, to both produce and hear. It sure sounds like John Leopold, Steve Berlin and Joel Savoy had a studio full of kicks putting this collection of songs together to honor zydeco’s all-time hero Clifton Chenier for what would have been Chenier’s 100th birthday. A full crew of artists each picked a track and let it rip. There is simply no way not to go for broke on these kinds of zydeco all-timers. One of the music’s most prominent attributes is to dive into the velocity locked in the songs, and to let the subtleties loose and kick everything into high gear. One of the best demonstrations of that is when the Rolling Stones and Steve Riley take “Zydeco Sont Pas Sales” onto the runway and head for the skies. Chenier’s long-time powerhouse drummer Robert St. Julien is on the kit with the Stones, and they all let loose. Zydeco is a music made for dancing, and Clifton Chenier’s lifetime on the bandstand would go sometimes for a half-dozen hours at his gigs. Literally. The audiences often brought masses of food to keep their energy all the way up.. What’s most swinging about the songs here on this release is just how fired-up all the artists are. From son CJ Chenier, the Rolling Stones, Marcia Ball,Taj Mahal, Steve Riley, Jimmie Vaughan, Lucinda Williams, David Hidalgo, Keith Frank, Tommy McLain, Sonny Landreth, Steve Earle, John Hiatt, Shannon McNally, Augie Myers, Roddie Romero, Gene Delafose, A.J. Haynes, Los Texmaniacs, Antony Dopsie, Kam Franklin and a whole tour bus full of some of the greatest names in Gulf Coast sounds come together to show their deepest dedication in honoring Clifton Chenier. A huge hole in American music would be there if it wasn’t for him. He is the one of the finest legends in the history of American music, someone who constantly criss-crossed the South and beyond for nearly a century, towing his U-haul trailer full of instruments and making sure the Red Hot Louisiana Band shared their never-ending ability to light the skies with the kind of music that lives right next to magic. To fall under a night listening and dancing to Clifton Chenier and his heavy duty army of players won’t be seen or heard again. And this fully fired-up tribute album makes sure there will be a living legend, for now at least, to show what happened on those seemingly endless nights of joy. Bon ton roula.
Reissue of the Month
Eli “Paperboy” Reed, SINGS “WALKIN’ AND “TALKIN'” AND OTHER SMASH HITS. When this debut album by Boston’s Eli “Paperboy” Reed hit daylight in 2004, it was hard to believe such a young 21-year-old college student was at the wheel. The young man’s voice sounded like it was cured in homebrew, and he might have already been standing out on the killing floor for a few years. Reed had such soul it was beyond belief. It was clear there weren’t any tricks behind the recordings. This was the real deal. It didn’t take long for the “Paperboy” to build a reputation, and the beauty of it all was that he wasn’t trying to be a blues bigshot, but instead he was mixing soul with down home American grit in a way that hadn’t really been heard quite like this. And every bit as strong as the initial album recordings are bonus studio tracks and 11 songs recorded in 2005 at WHRB-FM in Boston. It is all blowmind beauty captured in these new releases that will remind whoever loved this kind of primal rhythm & blues just why their monkey nerve got hit so hard in the first place. There is such a gut-kicking power to Reed and his band that it’s kind of unfair that these incredible recordings sat unheard for 20 years. Now, in 2025, a superfine American bag of roots music is out in the open in its pure essence, with no funny business added on. There’s a good chance nothing this strong and straight ahead will come again soon. It just doesn’t seem like there’s such a world where it can happen again. But who knows? Musical miracles can never be counted out. Look how Eli “Paperboy” Reed’s early surprise just popped out–again. Say hallelujah somebody.
Song of the Month:
Barry Goldberg, “LIKE I SAID.” There aren’t many veterans that go back to the mid-1960s in the area that merged urban blues and modern rock, and few have done it with more class and sass than Chicago’s Barry Goldberg. He played with all the giants from the South Side of Chicago when he was young in the Windy City in the first half of the 1960s, like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and others, and then joined guitar guru Michael Bloomfield to stretch the urban blues into the rock world before forming the (Steve) Miller-(Barry Goldberg) Blues Band. Goldberg then recorded with Bob Dylan, performed with him at the Newport Folk Festival in the infamous 1965 concert and went on from there with Michael Bloomfield in The Electric Flag’s debut album A LONG TIME COMIN’. Shortly after, Golberg’s solo album was the only project Bob Dylan ever produced for someone else. That was just the start. Goldberg’s most recent foray was with Stephen Stills and Kenny Wayne Shepherd in The Rides, and then studio and writing sessions. Goldberg passed away in January, but not before he recorded this new single “Like I Said.” It’s a high-energy funky instrumental that begins with a slight Santana tinge and horn-driven rhythm & blues chart with members of the Phantom Blues Band, recorded last January before Barry Goldbeerg lost his fight with cancer. It’s Barry Goldberg high-stepping goodbye with a lifetime of incredible credentials, from one of the best friends American music ever had. Turn it up.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
David Toop, TWO-HEADED DOCTOR: Listening for Ghosts in Dr. John’s Gris-Gris. It’s probably a pretty sure bet that this incredibly intelligent and detailed biography of Dr. John’s life focused on his first album GRIS-GRIS, won’t be on sale in the national chain of Popeye’s New Orleans Fried-Chicken. The book’s not really suited for the demographic, but then again, you never know. The spread of the Good Doctor’s incredibly broad cosmos can never be limited. The way Mac Rebennack, who used Dr. John as his official tag, could weave in and out of his own reality at will was always close at hand. Whenever a little bit of magic goofer dust was needed, bang, there it was. The man wasn’t afraid to ask for juju as it was called for, and had the black cat bones standing close by. David Toop’s book is multi-thick with history, reasoning, encyclopedic knowledge and every now and then the holy. TWO-HEADED DOCTOR is not always an easy read, but enough various characters and jaw-dropping occurrences are cited that by the end of the 387-page (all-in) tome ends it feels like Malcolm Rebennack, as he was born, is standing in front of the reader and his never-ending high-bopping take on life continues on with the brightest smile in town. There is a swinging freedom in the air and enough joyous musical ringing notes bopping through the blood that there is no way not to be moved through the world. Gumbo ya ya.
BENTLEY’S BANDSTAND: June 2025
